Doug LaMalfa

North Bay Congressman Jared Huffman fended off a Republican challenge to hold onto his seat this year, despite a dramatically redrawn district that now stretches from Marin County to the Oregon border and east into Shasta, Siskiyou, and Modoc counties.

Under California's new congressional map, Huffman's expanded second district absorbed heavily Republican areas of the North State, which was previously represented by the late Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who died earlier this year.

Huffman defeated Republican challenger Robin Latow, who drew support in the district's more rural conservative communities, including Shasta County, where election administration has faced controversy over election denial claims.

The progressive Democrat, who is the only openly non-religious member of Congress, spoke with KPFA as election results were coming in.

So there were five new districts drawn and all five were Democratic.

So they completely wiped out the existing Republican strongholds like Doug LaMalfa and some other ones.

And then everybody had the fun in Southern California of watching the two Republican Congress people duke it out.

So young Kim...

James Gallagher got blown out.

Well, to be fair, James Gallagher ran in a district that Doug LaMalfa left him and then went from a Trump plus 23 to a Kamala Harris plus 13 district.

In other words, the senator who won the seat is the same senator who drew the seat he wanted to win.

Funny how that works.

James Gallagher got blown out.

Well, he was, to be fair, James Gallagher ran in a district that Doug LaMalfa left him and then went from a Trump plus 23 to a Kamala Harris plus 13 district.

In other words, the senator who won the seat is the same senator who drew the seat he wanted to win.

And so I don't blame- Yeah, exactly.

This is a Prop 50 district that was redrawn to favor Democrats.

Republican James Gallagher has been in the seat since June when he won a special election following the death of former Representative Doug LaMalfa.

But as NSPR's Claudia Brancart reports, he faces an uphill battle to win.

All right.

The first congressional district in Northern California.

Which was Doug LaMalfa's district.

LaMalfa's district.

Unfortunately, he passed away.

The same thing that killed Senator Lindsey Graham, by the way.

Oh, is that what it was? And also Northern California Congressman Doug LaMalfa.

The same thing.

Oh, yeah.